They bowled brilliantly but most England teams of the last 15 years would have been very dangerous in those Tests. So what we need to see this week is England proving they can win when the ball is not hooping around or nipping off the seam. Can you cope when the ball is not doing as much, when you have to work harder and hold consistency levels for that bit longer?

Brothers in arms: Joe Root will, one day, take over from Alastair Cook Photo: REUTERS

I want to see them challenged because going forward they will have to win when conditions are not in their favour. Pakistan will not be bowled out for 60 and 136 in the UAE later this year in the same way Australia have been blown away in the last two Tests.

I can understand teams using home advantage. It is one of the beauties of Test cricket that as a touring team you are challenged in alien surroundings. We also have a new director of cricket, chief executive of the ECB keen to make their mark and others fighting to keep hold of their jobs.

There is so much pressure on the guys at the top to keep winning so it is understandable they demand pitches that will help them do that. But Test matches should last five days. For the long term development of a team they have to learn to win when it is hard and England have not been challenged in the last two Tests. They have been easy wins.

The batting has been held together by one man, Joe Root, with the odd cameo or two from Moeen Ali at No 8. The rest have not been in great form. If this team is to be the team of an era it needs consistency with the bat and more contributions from different players rather than relying on one or two. I have been very impressed with the mix with the ball. Mark Wood, Steven Finn, James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Ben Stokes have all made telling contributions at one point or another. But the batting unit has to offer more this week.

But looking at the longer term development of the team it would be ideal for Rashid to go to the UAE with the confidence of having performed on what could be a turning pitch at the Oval. Instead he will have to make his debut in the UAE. England will play possibly three seamers and two spinners against Pakistan making Moeen the fifth bowler. But my plan would be to open with Moeen and put Rashid at eight giving you the chance to have six bowling options. I would also consider resting James Anderson for the UAE. Rather than slog him around on flat pitches let him rest for three months to be fit for South Africa.

By sticking with Adam Lyth this week England will be able to make a judgement call on him because he will have had a whole summer in the side. He played in some tough circumstances at Edgbaston and Trent Bridge so now has the chance to make runs in a match where the pressure will not be the same. But he will know in his own mind he has to make a score this week. If he doesn’t then he is back to county cricket.

It is hard to get up for a dead game but they have a chance at the Oval to become the first England team to win 4-1 in home conditions. They have to take that chance. It is an achievement that will live with them forever. To do so they have to get in a position where they view this as a final. Forget the fact it is 3-1. Try and go out there and play as positive as possible to win this 'series’ 1-0. The big series has gone. This is a one-off match.

They will find it hard because the emotions of playing your last Test match must be difficult to handle. The job of the England bowlers is to remind them of that and make sure their emotions get the better of them.